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09/16/14

Upcycled DIY Desk Organizer

Hi there, it’s Susan from Organized 31. Now that the kiddos are back in school, I’ve been motivated to organize my school supplies. With all the money we’ve poured out this past month for school supplies and college expenses, I wanted to do some no-cost organizing. I whipped up an upcycled DIY desk organizer that cost nothing and only took about 10 minutes to make.

It all starts with a tuna box from the grocery store. We take a lot of tuna packets for lunches so I’m often emptying one of these boxes on the shelf. I know the store will just throw it away, so I grab the empty box and take it home with me.

I grabbed some wrapping paper that I already had, my trusty Mod Podge, a brush and scissors.

I cut the wrapping paper big enough so that it wrapped around the box and long enough to wrap down into the opening of the box. If you’re not sure how big to cut your paper, make it larger than you think. You can always trim it more later. I start by brushing Mod Podge on the front of the box and adhering it to the paper. Then I make my way around the rest of the outside of the box, brushing the Mod Podge on the box, and ending with the back seam.

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I let the paper dry a few minutes and then trimmed the paper at each corner of the box, leaving flaps to be wrapped down into the box. Before I glued the flaps down into the box, I Mod Podged paper on the interior bottom half of the box. The first flap to glue down is the one on the angled edge. That flap will fold neatly towards the back of the box. After I glued down both of the angled flaps, I made my way around and glued the rest of the flaps down neatly. I prefer the matte finish of the paper so I did not Mod Podge the outside of the box, but you can do that to make the paper more durable if you like.

I cut the corrugated lining to fit into the box on a diagonal from corner to corner and added notches in each piece.

The pieces then fit together into an “X” which will fit nicely into the box. This “X” shape provides compartments to organize your supplies better.

I added a flower embellishment taken from an old hair accessory my daughters have outgrown (I told you I was going no cost!) and Ta Da! Now my office supplies are organized and pretty and I’m ready for the new school year, too.

About Susan Santoro

Hi, I'm Susan. I believe life is better when organized. Maybe I feel this way because I've moved into and organized 25+ houses in 12 states and 3 foreign countries. My active duty husband, 3 children, dog and leopard gecko are always up for another move and another adventure. When we're not moving, I enjoy crafting, repurposing and caring for my family and friends. You can find me at Organized 31. http://organized31.com

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"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!" Read More ...